Summary At approximately 1850 eastern daylight time on 12October2002, the upbound Stellanova was going west through the South Shore Canal on the St. Lawrence Seaway while the downbound CanadianProspector was preparing to enter the South Shore Canal eastbound just after transiting Lake St. Louis. As it approached Mile12, the Stellanova was on the south side of the channel when the pilot called the CanadianProspector and arranged a starboard-to-starboard passing. The master of the CanadianProspector concurred with the arrangement and manoeuvred the vessel towards the north side of the channel. The Stellanova was manoeuvred in order to keep it on the south side of the channel, but it sheered towards the centre of the channel, and the Stellanova and the CanadianProspector collided. Both vessels sustained significant damage. The Stellanova struck the bank, causing minor pollution, which was eventually brought under control by St. Lawrence Seaway authorities. One member of the Stellanova crew sustained minor injuries as a result of the impact. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information Particulars of the Vessels The Stellanova The Stellanova is a heavy lift ship with a deadweight of 5212 tonnes and hoisting apparatus mounted on the starboard side. The accommodation is forward, and the vessel has an integrated bridge wheelhouse. The CanadianProspector The CanadianProspector is a Great Lakes bulk carrier with bridge, accommodation and main engine aft of the cargo holds. The bridge is equipped with an electronic chart system (ECS). Sequence of Events On 12 October2002, the Stellanova was transiting the South Shore Canal bound for the As it exited the Cte-Sainte-Catherine lock around 1819 eastern daylight time,2 the Stellanova called the CanadianProspector, which was just passing St. Nicolas Island. The call was made on very high frequency (VHF) radiotelephone channel 8.3 The two vessels agreed to meet downstream of buoysV29 and V30referred to as the sticks in their communication. Around 1827, the CanadianProspector was entering the South Shore Canal while the Stellanova reduced speed to about two knots on approaching the Cte-Sainte-Catherine dock due to a containment boom deployed around the Algosound. At 1842, the CanadianProspector broadcast a courtesy call to advise traffic that it was off Church Point, and at 1855, when the vessel passed under the Honor-Mercier Bridge, its speed was 6.9knots and its heading122(T). In the meantime, the master of the Stellanova relieved the first mate. He took up a position at a workstation beside the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), and started working on tasks unrelated to navigation. Upstream at Mile12, the pilot decreased propeller pitch by moving the gradient control lever from 4to3. Within the next few seconds, the Stellanova sheered to port. There is conflicting information regarding the helm orders given by the pilot, i.e. whether the wheel was ordered hard over to starboard, or starboard five degrees, followed by midship. At 1906:19, the pilot called the CanadianProspector and arranged a starboard-to-starboard passing. The master of the CanadianProspector concurred with the arrangement and indicated that the vessel's position was east of buoysV29andV30. Figure1. Chart of the occurrence area A short time later, the Stellanova sheered towards the centre of the channel. The pilot ordered the helmsman to steer hard-to-port, but the Stellanova continued the sheer to starboard. At 1906:31, the Stellanova advised the CanadianProspector that it was coming back to the north side of the channel and that the two ships should effect passage port to port. The CanadianProspector firmly rejected the proposal and immediately requested confirmation of their earlier starboard-to-starboard arrangement. The Stellanova responded that its main engine was operating full astern. The CanadianProspector was steered closer to the north side of the channel edge to give the Stellanova maximum sea room to prevent a collision. However, at 1909:37, the two vessels collided. The angle of impact was estimated to be 120. On impact, the CanadianProspector swung to port and its over-the-ground speed decreased from 4.1knots to 2.3knots. At the time of impact, the Stellanova was pushed towards the south side of the channel, where it struck the edge. The rudder and rudder stock were warped, causing hydraulic oil to leak into the Seaway. At 1912, the Seaway station at Beauharnois received a brief damage report. The CanadianProspector was able to continue on its route to the Cte-Sainte-Catherine lock approach wall. The Stellanova was towed to Montral Harbour. Seaway traffic was held up for almost 14hours to allow a response crew to contain the Stellanova's hydraulic oil spill. Conduct of Navigation While transiting the Seaway, the bridge team of the Stellanova consisted of a pilot, an officer of the watch, in this case the first mate, and a helmsman. The usual pilot/master information was exchanged when the pilot arrived on board. A short time before the collision, the officer of the watch was replaced by the master. The master had been sitting at a desk with a computer, adjacent to the conning position, attending to other duties. Shortly before the vessel sheered the first time, the master was at the chart table trying to locate buoys V29andV30, referred to as the sticks, a terminology used by the pilot in communications with the CanadianProspector. It had been previously agreed to meet below thesticks. The pilot had the conduct of the vessel and executed the necessary speed changes and course orders until the vessel sheered initially to port. The master joined the pilot near the conning position quickly after the first sheer. By that time, the vessel was coming near, and parallel to, the south shore. The master then decreased the pitch to slow the vessel. As both vessels came within sight of one another, the Stellanova sheered a second time, this time to starboard. The pilot immediately ordered hard-to-port helm and the master increased the thrust to help correct the heading. Just before the collision, the master left the conning position to warn the crew of the imminent impact using the public address system; the pilot, in the meantime, put the pitch to full astern. On board the CanadianProspector, the master, who was at the controls, looked after routine communications with Marine Communications and Traffic Services while transiting the Seaway, and he maintained close communications with the Stellanova upon entering the South Shore Canal until the collision. Manoeuvrability of the Stellanova Unlike the rudder and propulsion system on a conventional vessel, the Stellanova is equipped with a Becker rudder and a variable-pitch propeller (seeFigure2). To make the vessel more manoeuvrable, the rudder has an articulated flap on its after edge. The helm can be turned up to 35(at sea) or 45(in port). The flap deflects automatically in the same direction as the rudder. This increases the helm angle, and the rudder-to-flap ratio can be as high as2:1. The efficiency of the rudder gives the ship good manoeuvrability in different conditions. However, the investigation revealed that, when the propeller pitch is decreased quickly with the vessel moving forward, the vessel tends to swing unexpectedly to one side or the other, and the helmsman cannot predict to which side it will swing. Figure2. Sketch of a Becker rudder Ergonomics on the Bridge of the Stellanova On the Stellanova, the wheelhouse is laid out as an integrated bridge. From the conning position, the view over the starboard quarter is limited due to the hutch on the chart table (see photos at AppendixA) and the crane on the starboard side. Visibility directly aft is also reduced due to the access to the lower accommodation decks (see photos at AppendixA). During navigation, to have an aft view, a person has to be stationed either on the port side of the bridge or on one of the wings. Photo3. View forward from the bridge showing position of the blue steering light Visibility forward from the bridge is good. The blue steering light is mounted level with the bridge and aft of the foremast (Photo3 shows the position of the blue light). Because the distance between the bridge and the forward mast is short, the blue light is not a good visual steering reference. Bridge Team on the Stellanova The bridge team consisted of a master, a helmsman and a Seaway pilot. Communication was on an informal basis, and there was little communication regarding navigation. The master and pilot had received training on bridge resource management (BRM). Conditions for Exemption from Pilotage In November 1999, the Minister of Transport directed the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority (GLPA) to implement more strict conditions regarding pilotage exemptions. The GLPA consulted the Canadian Shipowners Association, and subsequently submitted to Transport Canada (TC) a draft amendment to the Great Lakes Pilotage Regulations. On 15April2001, the Minister of Transport asked the GLPA to withhold its amendment proposal pending a review of the conditions governing exemptions to mandatory pilotage for waters under GLPA jurisdiction, conducted in accordance with the Pilotage Risk Management Methodology (PRMM). The PRMM review, which was to have been completed in early2002, related to the possibility of exempting domestic vessels from mandatory pilotage, and it considered such elements as training and certificates. During the PRMM review, the Canadian Shipowners Association developed and presented an extensive training program taking into account standards and requirements for simulation training, BRM and electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) training, on-board local knowledge training, a formal evaluation process, an approved trainer, and a documentation/auditing capability. This training program is not recognized by the GLPA. This program is followed by the owners of CanadianProspector to train their officers. To date, the owners of exempted ships produce affidavits stating that the officer has completed the minimum number of voyages required but do not specify the exact number of voyages made by the officer, nor are they required to do so. Pilotage Exemption The master on the bridge of the CanadianProspector at the time of the events leading up to the collision was also in charge of pilotage. He was duly certified to do so by way of an exemption. Pilot Training Pilotage authorities recognize the value of using a manoeuvre simulator in their pilot training. To meet its objectives, the GLPA set up a training program, in collaboration with an approved training centre. The program period will be spread over five years favouring the use of a manoeuvre simulator, as proposed in the syllabus. The syllabus indicates that the scheduled simulator exercises are conducted essentially using mathematical models of existing Canadian vessels, and there is no provision for simulations for vessels with non-traditional handling characteristics like the Stellanova. This is a unique type of vessel with a bridge well forward and unusual ergonomics. Furthermore, the syllabus does not take into account manoeuvring with a Becker rudder in emergency/threatening situations and normal practical experience will not afford a pilot the opportunity to practice its use.